Addressing one of the main fears around public speaking

One of our biggest fears is being judged by our audience. Many of us suffer from the 'Imposter Syndrome' feeling that we are not good enough to command the attention of an audience and wondering why anyone would want to listen to us! To combat this very real fear it is important to earn the right to command the attention of others. So, establish your authenticity and credibility from the outset. The audience needs to know why they should listen to you, so dispel any doubts in your opening remarks, it will make you and your listeners feel confident that you deserve to be there. Make sure you know your subject inside out and feel you have something valuable to share. Become an eternal student, be a learning junkie, constantly read about and research your subject and bring your new-found knowledge to your talks. Also make sure you can quote the source of your findings; it shows you have done your homework and invested your time in making sure you deliver value. The impact of this will be:

• you will feel excited that you are educating your audience;
• you will be looking forward to sharing your new material;
• your audience will be engaged right from the start;
• they will gain valuable new knowledge and takeaways.

The audience also has fears - they fear boredom, wasting their precious time, hearing nothing new, having no valuable takeaways So, allay those fears in your opening remarks and put them at ease, get them scrambling for their pens and writing notes right from the start. By engaging them immediately you will also feel engaged, more confident and more in flow!